Taste: Resin, mango, peach, grapefruit, honey, light caramel malts on the back end. Matches the smell well, but the hops come through a lot stronger. Amazingly smooth taste, and the hops shine. (4.6)

Mouth-feel: Medium carbonation with a medium body. Finishes just a tad bitter, which is really nice for such a big ipa. (4.5)

Overall: From the smell, this seemed to be a fairly balanced IPA, but with the taste the hops definitely take over, with the malt sweetness in the backseat. Really smooth, well integrated flavor profile and this drinks like a smaller ABV IPA, but with so much flavor, which is impressive. (4.5)

Hazy, rich orange-amber; more the former than the latter. The head is dark cream to very light tan, is large to start, eventually falls to a thin disk and leaves a decent amount of lace in fat rings and sheets.

Sweet Mother of Hops, this big DIPA smells incredible! It has one of the most intoxicating noses that I've ever had the pleasure to sniff. Needless to say, American hops are front, back, center, top and bottom. The beer smells floral, grapefruity, lemony and piney.

The flavor mirrors the aroma, which is a very good thing indeed. A tidal wave of resinous hops hits the palate with force and is sustained for the life of the mouthful... and beyond. The bittering is definitely there, but Dreadnaught (as is the case with all hoptastic beer) is more about hop flavor than about bitterness per se. Hopheads should do whatever it takes to acquire as much of this stuff as possible.

The body/mouthfeel is simply amazing. This is the thickest, heaviest, chewiest non-stout that has ever entered my mouth. Unfortunately, alcohol isn't as well-hidden as it could be. This would be slightly better beer at about 8.0%. Drinkability takes a small hit since no one will be pounding this bad boy.

Obtaining Dreadnaught was an obsession for me. Finally... finally... I was able to lay my hands on four bombers. I live about 5 hours from the brewery in Munster and am giving serious thought to spending a day resupplying when my stash runs out. The following is a paean to hops that I wrote in anticipation of this review, which is the one that earns me my BA mug.

"Ode to Hops" (with apologies to John Keats)

O leafy shape! bitter attitude! I'll leaveNo Stone unturned in quest of beerThat wears its hop-like heart on sleeve,Tho my Ruination may be near.Bursting nose of pungent flower, citrus peel, With bittered brightness like the sun;We drink and swoon, my God! we feelThe power of the Dreadnaught's guns,A Wallop to the Heart of Man.'Hops are beauty, beauty hops-that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know'.

First off thanks to hoppedup for sharing his bottle,pours a hazy burnt orange with a nice two finger fluffy head,aromas are straight hop all the way bigtime pine and spruce not much citrus just like an evergreen pine forest.To be expected this was totaly hop based big pine and very and I mean very resiny it made the tongue curl it was so piney and dry.One dimensional to say the least didnt pick up any malt although I know it was there,a hop bomb no doubt and very good at that.

Appearance  The bomber poured out a cascade of dark, hazy orange beer. The head built from the bottom. I enjoyed watching it rise through the liquid and open up at the top like a bed of tulips blooming on fast-forwarded film.

Smell  This is classic East Coast beer. The tangy, fruity hop profile is huge, supported generously with some good pine oil. The toasted malt base is loaded with rich caramel and toffee.

Taste  The monster malts come out beautifully at the taste. This beer has a big sweetness to it. Some of this comes from the sugars but I think much of it is from that over-reaching level of IBUs that pushes a hoppy beer into the land of sweets a la DFHs 120 Minute.

Regardless, the key here is balance. Youve got two big 450 lb sumo wrestlers engaged in combat, each unable to unseat the other. The hops and malts come together fearlessly, locked into a perpetual state of immobility. This is a battle royale.

Mouthfeel  This is bigger than medium in the body and incredibly smooth and well-blended. This beer will melt in your mouth.

Drinkability  Amazingly smooth. The ABV is undetectable. This is a winner.

Comments  Huge thanks to garthwaite for sending this one out my way. Ive been dying to try it.

Its all been said about this one hasnt it? Ive been pondering what I could add for several days but Im drawing a blank accept to say that his beer lives up to the hype. I am no hop head, but Dreadnaught works on a level beyond its insane IBU. It is crafted so cleverly as to be one of the most balanced and drinkable beers I have put to my lips. For a beer with these ABV and IBU ratings to be so stable and equalized in every way is astonishing to me.

I once saw a John Clease documentary called Face, which contended that humans define beauty in one another based first and foremost on symmetry. If that is the case then Dreadnaught is the Elizabeth Hurley of beers. It is perfectly symmetrical in every way. Each quality is proportional to the next.

In the aroma, notes of bristlecone pine, juniper, mountain flowers, sage, and nearly every citrus fruit imaginable all come together defining the Double IPA aroma. Taste is shocking, for the full force of each individual aroma assaults the tongue with the power of a platoon of trebuchets. The citrus, sweet at times, is controlled by bitter hops, and vice versa as they both steer the overall direction of the beer toward shear bliss.

As I was drinking the Dreadnaught the other night I began to humming a tune. Until my girlfriend said something, I didnt even recognize what I was humming. It was an old Fred Astaire song, Heaven, Im in Heaven  Thats what the Dreadnaught did for me.

Thanks to Rainblows for hooking me up with this one, something that I've wanted for the longest time but somehow haven't acquired until now. Relatively fresh bottle, Dreadnaught pours out a murky amber and copper-ish color, so muddled and cloudy that it blocks nearly all light trying to pass through. The foamy eggshell shaded head perches softly and leaves behind some nice lace.

Pungent perfume crowds my nostrils with each sip, the kind that an over-zealous teenage girl lacquers herself in to desperately try and attract some over-qualified muscle head, only to achieve the exact opposite reaction - repulsion. Light tropical fruit and an abundance of sweet caramel malt are present as well, but the poignancy of the perfume-y florals cuts through everything and can be quite intimidating. I'm also not loving the seemingly super-sweet malty backdrop.

Blah, and what do you know. The flavor starts off pretty sweet and caramely... this is one, thick, sticky, sweet, and malt-heavy DIPA, that's for sure. The hops do come in quick, and are still quite pungent with big-time floral and perfume notes, almost to a troublesome degree of bitterness and abrasiveness that flirts with the line of enjoyable and just "too much".

No matter the heavy bitterness, however, as the malt blanket quickly jumps back in and smothers everything, taking things to another level of heavy, sticky sweetness that I'd rather my DIPAs didn't go. Buttery, toffee/caramel malt finish, with a big, big, BIG thick coating that will stick to your palate for days if you don't brush well enough. Dreadnaught feels bigger than it should... even at 9.5% ABV, it feels like even more.

Dreadnaught isn't bad. I managed to put down half the bomber without much struggle, but it's hard to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of DIPAs that are sweet and malty like this, and even the "hoppy" aspects were unabashed to an unnecessary degree and a little overdone for my tastes. I guess I was let down, given the incredible praise and high ratings this beer receives. It's decent at best, and overrated doesn't even do it justice.

The aroma packed with fresh hops - grapefruits, grass, pine-needles and hop resins. Caramel malts back it up. Very inviting and aromatic.

The flavor has some caramel malty sweetness to it and minimal hints of vanilla fudge. But the star of the show is definitely the fresh hop aromas of grapefruits, mango, grass, pine-needles and resins. Ends really bitter with a strong piny character.

Reviewed from notes on 10/7/10. Thank you, TCGoalie, for picking up this gem for me.

A: Pours a strikingly attractive golden-garnet and quite clear into a snifter, allowing an unimpeded view of swiftly moving carbonation bubbles. A little head disappears to leave an almost full cover of light khaki film. The lacing is top notch - very splashy, sticky, and fine.

S: Wow, this is a fresh tropical fruit bonanza. Loads of mango, pineapple, and melon smells pair with fresh peach and orange aromas. A slick hop oil smell is present, along with a sweet caramel malt smell. This bouquet just shouts, "FRESH HOPS!" This is a large highly enticing smell.

T: At the get-go, the caramel malt base asserts its delicious flavor, then the taste seamlessly transitions to heavenly tropical fruit and citrus hop yumminess. This sweet, fruity hop presence then rolls into a biting, bitter, high alpha-acid hop finish that lingers on the sides of my palate seemingly forever. The component ingredients of this beer meld together so well and result in just a scrumptious Imperial IPA.

M: So slick and smooth of a feel graces my mouth at first. It is oily in an oh so good way. This smoothness then perfectly flows into a crisp, drying bite of a hop finish, that lingers for soooo long. Dreadnaught is a hearty medium bodied brew with just about perfect carbonation.

D: I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this beer. I find it to be so drinkable for the style, with a perfect balance between caramel malt sweetness and delicious hop flavor. Combine that with an absolutely gorgeous color and how easily the beer goes down and you have an amazing creation. I will be stocking up on fresh Dreadnaught the next time I roll through Indiana. Cheers, Three Floyds!

Ideal look for a DIPA; pale amber with a two inch white head that leaves great lacing.

I've had this several times before and don't remember it smelling this good. Fresher bottle, perhaps? Brimming with bright florals, hints of evergreen, alcohol, and citrus.

The taste throws a lot to think about at you all at once. Orange blossom honey, gentle florals, orange and peach citrus, and a gentle kiss of bitterness just as you think it's not going to show. A nearly perfect combination for me. The mouthfeel couldn't be any softer for a DIPA.

Sometimes when you go to a fancy restaurant, they give you bread with spicy olive oil that has been infused with chili or whatever. Thats prettymuch the color of this beer. It turns more orange and almost ruby when light strikes it a certain way. The racing carbonation forms a thick head like whipped egg whites that leaves a layered wall of lacing and it perfumes the air above the glass with what may be one of the most pungent and simultaneously inviting aromas of any beer ever. I would describe it as sweet, deeply resinous, and a thick, sticky, drippy blend of honey, mango, peach, and grapefruit, with prickly pine notes in the background. I also get some grape aroma, curiously I can not make up my mind if we are talking red or white though. Deep quaffing of the beer actually pricks and tickles the back of my throat with an odd sensation.

Despite all the hop build-up in the nose, the taste begins sweet and floral, then goes resinous with any pine still lurking in the background before the bitter creeps on and introduces a swirl of grapefruit, solvent-like alcohol, a deeper pine tone, and a dark, hot, spiciness which is backing a possible caraway seed character. The beer warms a bit more and I start to hear from sugary malt but this is countered by the development of salty hop aftertaste. The aftertaste definately sticks with you (literally) and morphs as you drink this anywhere from resinous and sticky to wispy perfume and booze.

At some point, either the beer warms up, the alcohol begins to affect me, my palate just gets numbed to the bitter, or some cobination thereof takes place and I have a different beer on my hands. Instead of the tumultuous touge-rodeo of the first tastes, I now have a more fluid blend of resinous hop bitter, sweet malt, hot spice and booze, and a perfume of hop florals. In other words, this eventually started to taste like a just above average 2IPA.

The mouthfeel on this beer is quite literally sticky. I have never had such a sticky beer in my life. My lips stick together, my fingers are sticky where a little dribbled down the glass, just smelling it made my throat feel sticky, and it coats the mouth in an amazing way, unless you bust out some cheese or something, you'll be tasting this for hours after your last sip. This might be hop head's dream but i personally found it a bit off-putting. The mouthfeel got more pleasant toward the end but I think thats only because I started eating food to help me get this guy down, which brings me to drinkability.

If this beer has one key downfall, it is definately drinkability. Anyone who wants to drink an entire bomber of this either A) Is a smoker B) Feels like he has something to prove C) Loves hops at the expense of anything close to balance. Don't get me wrong, this is an interesting and relativley well-made beer, but I would much rather pay for a single or 6 pack of ponies than 10 bucks for a bomber most will struggle to finish.

My final thoughts... I can wrap this brew up in one word, "RESINOUS". The reviews I read of this one had lead me to expect a fairly piney brew. While it does have its coniferous qualities, it is much less that fresh, evergreen, Christmas-tree, vibe than a big 'ol gob of sap and pine tar. I rate this beer the way I did because I respect its complexity, and it pretty-much delivers what it promises, but its not really my style. I know what I'm about to say is BA heresy but sometimes folks, big beer is just gross beer. You can go too far, and I think Dreadnaught really walks the line. While I respect that, I don't think I'll buy it again.

Had the pleasure of going to Three Floyds today with my buddy Brian. Food was good, server was real nice and it was an enjoyable afternoon. I had the Dreadnaught on-tap in a half pint glass - as the brewmaster suggets.

A: Looked clearer than the bottle. Amber was more golden. It had the same great head - a slightly yellowish, fine one finger. Lacing is never as impressive in a small glass. Handsome looking brew.

S: Has a good solid caramel backbone but the hops were out of control. Awesome grapefruit and floral that was incredibly fresh.

T: Amazing. It was everything that I am used to in the bottle but turned up to 11. Nice sweetness to the malt, honey, massive grapefruit and some floral hops and a piney bite of an aftertaste. So fresh, I was smacking my lips.

M: Bigger, rounder and more syrupy mouthfeel than the bottle. Felt like the high side of medium with just enough carbonation to keep it interesting. Couldn't ask for more.

D: Big beer for sure. Very aggressive but somehow very drinkable. I wish this was lower ABV, so that I could session it. I started to feel a slight buzz off the half pint. Great beer. Really unique taste that is 100% 3F. I want to go back!